The science of anthropology for the Christian has many values
and practical applications, both for accurate apologetics and for pressing
social problems. The data and techniques of prehistoric archeology and human
paleontology bear importantly upon the interpretation of portions of the Old
Testament. The findings of racial studies together with the increasingly clear
differentiation between what anthropologists call "cultural" behavior,
and purely racial characteristics , likewise have an important bearing upon the
tragic turmoil which has become popularly symbolized as "segregation vs.
de-segregation" in our own country as well as in colonial contexts.

But, as
Smalley and Fetzer have observed, "The most worthwhile potential area f or
applied anthropology is in Christian Missions." (Modern Science and
Christian Faith, 2nd ed., p. 101.) It is a report of one phase of this area
that concerns us here.

Institute of Missions
Inaugurated

The first session of the Summer Institute of
Missions, sponsored by the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association, and the
Interdenominational Foreign Missions Association on the campus of Wheaton
College was completed on July 19th. Giving either graduate or undergraduate
credit to * missionaries and candidates, the Institute consisted of four
courses conducted within the academic framework of the regular Wheaton
Summer School.

Dr. Merrill
Tenney, Dean of the Graduate School of Wheaton College, taught the course in
Bible Study Methods. The reason for having this course was that missionaries
frequently fail to secure, amid all of their preparation in the scriptures, a
systematic, efficient method of studying the Bible for themselves. Also, as
might be expected, the response of mission executives to a preliminary
questionnaire indicated that the greatest single need ... was a knowledge
of the Bible." (Tenney, M. C., "Report on Questionnaire on Missionary
Education.")

In the
selection of individual courses suggested by the questionnaire, "Methods
and Philosophy of Missions" received the highest number of votes. Mr.
Hubert Reynhout, Jr., former missionary under the Ceylon and India General
Mission, and, since 1947, Prof essor of Missions at Providence-Barrington Bible
College, taught this course. New and old methods were considered in the contexts
of changing philosophies and approaches. Review and study of historic and
current trends, and the comparative study and exchange of methods proved of
great value to the missionaries enrolled.

Mr. David Woodward, of the Christian Witness
Press of Formosa and Hong Kong, conducted a course
in Missionary Literature. Problems of field as well as
homeland production and distribution of literature were
examined. As Production Manager and Assistant Edi
tor of DEUGTA (The Lighthouse), Mr. Woodward
was well prepared to present the necessity for, and
techniques of good writing, with a unique familiarity
with what is needed for new converts and for literate
non-Christians on the foreign field. The course also
covered the preparation of reports and newsletters, fiction, reviews, articles, and many other forms of liter
ature for which the missionary is regularly responsible

Communication Stressed

The fourth course was one in Anthropology. In answer to
the question, "What are the greatest general educational needs of
your missionaries?" the questionnaire showed that "there was a heavy
stress on practical adaptability to the thinking of the people among whom the
missionaries were working." Tabulation of the 38 returns indicated that
anthropology was the second choice out of 27 subjects listed by the missions
executives for inclusion in the proposed Summer Institute. "Out of five
choices given in each questionnaire, by far the largest single interest was
Methods and Philosophy of Missions (27 votes), Anthropology (21 votes), and
Bible Study (20 votes)."

The
anthropology course was built around the principal theme of Effective
Communication. A combination of text materials introduced the missionaries and
candidates to the normal academic scope of the field, (Herskovits, M. J., Cultural
Anthropology, Knopf, 1955), a particular orientation of anthropology to
missionary problems and attitudes, (Nida, E. A., Customs and Cultures:
Anthropology for Christian Missions, Harper, 1954; and Davis, J. M., New
Buildings on Old Foundations, Friendship Press, 1945); and to a
consideration of specific cases and field probelms, such as The Toba Indians
of Argentine Chacos: An Interpretive Report, by William D. Reyburn,
(Mennonite Board of Missions, 1954), and a selection of articles from the International
Review of Missions, and other journals.*

Besides the
over-all stress on communication, two other items of emphasis were, (1)
Attitudes: considerations of racial equality, and a recognition of cultural
relativism consistent with Christian absolutes. (2) Understanding: discovery of
the interrelated functioning of native customs and the meaning and values of the
native culture; and that the missionary's presentation of Christianity can and
must be adapted to the receivers' culture in order to achieve a responsible,
indigenous church. This adaptation only happens as the missionary achieves an
understanding of the native culture which is more than a mere knowledge of
their customs.

It is vital to remember at
this point, that no matter how well
trained we are, anthropologically or otherwise, our preparation does not
guarantee our success in the missionary enterprise. As dependent upon human
communicative skills as most cross-cultural dealings are, "the
communication of the Gospel ... is neither primarily nor ultimately dependent on
our human ability to communicate.... the primary author of the ef f ective
transmission of the message is the Holy Spirit. This demonstrates clearly that
communication of the gospel has a quality of its own. . . " (Hendrik
Kraemer, The Communication of the Christian Faith, Westminister 1956, p.
28)

Observations and
Results

At a session such as the Missions Institute there is an
interesting two-fold confirmation of impressions from missionary literature as
to why some missionaries have so often disregarded or rejected the value of
anthropology. One point of view is that there is nothing in native culture
worth preserving. It's all "heathen." The other view is, with
reference to the first, that nobody is so stupid as to think that;
"everybody knows one must take the native culture into account." Neither
one understands the native culture, and for both, anthropology is
superfluous. Needless to say, attitudes such as these were readily
relinquished, due as much to the rich discussions between missionaries from
different fields, as to classroom instruction and reading.

One of the
rewarding experiences from such a class is to see the plans for direct
application to the actual field situation of what is being studied. In this
case, before the four-week session was even completed, one missionary in the
anthropology class had composed at lengthy letter to her colleagues on the
field, urging consideration of an attempt to understand the natives and their
culture, instead of seeing how fast they could win them away f rom it. She
brought the impact of this approach directly to bear upon her own field by
outlining four detailed, concrete proposals as to how the mission church, (whose
native pastor preaches only in English at present), could help to further
effective communication of the Gospel to the bulk of the native tribe.

One
proposal was an explanation of specific ways to orient the social and devotional
program of the church around the interests of the natives.

The second
was a strong plea for initiating and extending the use of the native language in
songs, services, and home ministry.

The third
proposal named certain native leaders as prospects for Sunday School teachers
and superintendent.

The last
was a suggestion as to the value of certain native leaders as deacons, ushers,
and choir director. "In short, the more native leaders, the better."

Thus the
obvious implication of the extension of the anthropological approach to
missionary methods, when applied correctly with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and
not as an end in inself, is the indigenous church, saving literally generations
of foreign missionary time, and reaching far more people in the process.

Missionary Institute to
Continue

The Summer Institute of Missions will be held again
next year. It is planned that perhaps two more weeks will be added so that a
missionary on furlough may attend for two, four, or six weeks, completing,
respectively, one, two, or three courses in the Institute. Of course an
additional four weeks which constitutes e regular second semester of the
Wheaton College Summer School, is also available for any who wish to
complete the maximum amount of academic credit in the summer months.